Nuclear Weapons

North Korea is believed to be on the verge of a significant, even “game changing,” breakout in its nuclear capabilities. With concerns mounting over what that will mean for regional and U.S. national security, we spoke with Robert Litwak, one of the nation’s foremost experts on nonproliferation. His thoughts on confronting the growing threat are outlined in his latest book, Preventing North Korea’s Nuclear Breakout. That’s the focus of this edition of Wilson Center NOW.

For his first trip as Secretary of Defense, James Mattis traveled to South Korea to assert the U.S. commitment to that nation and to send a warning to its northern neighbor. This follows on the heels of North Korea’s claims that it is close to perfecting ICBM technology that would enable it to strike the continental United States. We asked the Wilson Center’s James Person to assess the current level of tension on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of Secretary Mattis’ visit. That’s the focus of this edition of Wilson Center NOW.

Fallout from Iran’s recent missile test has resulted in new US sanctions and warnings from the Trump Administration that the country is “playing with fire” and is now “on notice.” Is the test a violation of the Iran Nuclear Deal? What can we expect moving forward? We asked nonproliferation and national security expert, Robert Litwak to provide analysis. That’s the focus of this edition of Wilson Center NOW.

One of the worst fears in the post 9-11 world is that the threat of nuclear terrorism will become reality. Nonproliferation expert, Robert Litwak has for decades been immersed in the work of securing nuclear weapons and materials from spreading and falling into the hands of actors that would not hesitate to put them to destructive use. His books on “Rogue” and “Outlier” states have provided valuable ways to think about and address the threats posed by potential abuses of nuclear technologies.

The Iran nuclear deal continues to be a focus of partisan disagreement during election 2016. We asked nonproliferation expert, Robert Litwak to provide an update on the deal in the shadow of the race for the White House. That’s the focus of this edition of Wilson Center NOW.

The United States is a Pacific power. It may be so reluctantly, but its continued military, political, and economic engagement has been key to Asia’s stability and prosperity. Ensuring that the Asia-Pacific remains robust politically and economically will be in the United States’ own interest, and will be a key foreign policy challenge for any administration.

With North Korea conducting a new round of nuclear tests and the US and South Korea flying bombers and fighter jets as a show of strength in response, the Korean Peninsula is back in the spotlight. We spoke with James Person to find out what North Korea hopes to gain by provoking nuclear tensions and if additional sanctions, as some are recommending, would matter to a nation isolated from much of the international community. His insights provide the focus for this edition of Wilson Center NOW.

North Korea tested a fifth nuclear device in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions. Held on the sixty-eighth anniversary of the regime's founding, the test comes fresh on the heels of a series of ballistic missile tests on Monday as world powers gathered for a G20 meeting in China. North Korea advances its threat capabilities with each nuclear and ballistic missile test. It is time for an immediate re-assessment of ongoing efforts to eliminate the threat North Korea's weapons programs pose to the region.

The Wilson Center, chartered by Congress as the living memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum. In tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue, the Center informs actionable ideas for Congress, the administration, and the broader policy community.